NRC postpones public discussion of San Onofre reactor restart

Federal nuclear safety regulators have postponed indefinitely a public meeting about restarting the Unit 2 reactor at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating station, originally scheduled for Friday night at Dana Point.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission confirmed the delay Tuesday in a one paragraph statement. Plant operator Southern California Edison will use the meeting, once rescheduled, to describe the technical basis for its plans to restart one of two reactors sidelined by faulty new steam generators.

Edison is proposing to restart the Unit 2 reactor at 70 percent power for a five-month stint. The Unit 3 reactor has been idled indefinitely with more significant damage.

Both reactors have shown accelerated degradation of steam generator tubes that carry radioactive water. The plant's four steam generators were replaced in 2010 and 2011 at a cost of at least $670 million.